Chapter 5
Lin SuCi yawned.
Today’s sun was warm, the golden rays scattered across the ground. After a meal, it was the best time for a nap.
Sun shone on his body, warming Lin SuCi. He yawned again, his paws wiping away the tears that appeared as a reflex from the corner of his eyes. His little slender tail behind him waved slowly and rhythmically.
Living with Yan BoShen during the past few days, he slept earlier than Yan BoShen, got up later than Yan BoShen, and was also more likely to be sleepy than Yan BoShen. Lin SuCi thought about it, feeling sure it was because he was a cub, still growing, and needed a lot of sleep.
Luxuriant green grass surrounded the fence around the courtyard, the breeze blowing, bringing with it a fresh breath of ai.
Lin SuCi yawned with his mouth open. With mincing steps, he jumped onto a small wooden pier next to the fence posts. Sprawling across it, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Lin SuCi had just fallen asleep. He dreamed that a man with a blurred face had given him a video game. He was having a good time. The man was sitting beside him, but started to get fresh with him.
Lin SuCi got a shock, raising his hand, he hit him.
“Ouch!”
A low clear cry sounded beside him.
It did not feel like a dream. Lin SuCi opened his eyes and looked, oh, squatting in front of him was a young man in white covering his cheek. Between his fingers, a red imprint could be seen.
When he recognised him, Lin SuCi was amused.
Wasn’t this little miserable Wang LiChen? Why was he here again?
Lin SuCi watched interestedly as Wang LiChen rubbed at his face. He quickly let go and gave him a nervous smile. “Do you remember me, little kitty? I came here before.”
Seeing Lin SuCi nodding slowly, Wang LiChen stammered, “I made dried fish with my own hands, and specially brought it to you.”
Wang LiChen had a bamboo basket beside him that was covered with a white handkerchief. He opened it. In there were many wines brewed from spiritual fruit, as well as a plate of fragrant dried fish.
Wang LiChen took a piece out and placed it in front of Lin SuCi’s mouth, coaxing him. “This is a small fish I caught from Lake WeiChao. There’s no bones and it’s still very fresh. You should like it. Have a taste?”
The dried fish in front of him did emit an attractive fragrance. Lin SuCi sniffed the fish, crinkled his nose, and his eyes fell on the youth in front of him.
He sat up, avoiding that bite of dried fish, raising his paws and shook them. He politely asked, “How much is this fish?”
Wang LiChen’s smile froze. “… It’s free.”
Pausing, Wang LiChen spoke in disbelief, “Little kitty, you don’t think… I’m using the dried fish to cheat you… To cheat you of your money?!”
He flushed and gritted. “Did you listen to what they said? Don’t believe them. That thing to do with Senior Uncle Hui Lian, I really wasn’t the one who cheated him of his money!”
Lin SuCi waved his tail slowly and spoke lightly. “It’s no use telling me this. You have to talk to Hui Lian.”
Wang LiChen grabbed his hair in distress, “But Senior Uncle Hui Lian won’t believe me…”
After a pause, Wang LiChen continued dejectedly, “Forget it, we won’t talk about this first. Don’t worry about the dried fish, I’m giving it to you.”
“Extorting my money after deceiving me into eating your fish, you’re an unscrupulous merchant. Asking me to eat your fish for free, means that you want something from me.”
“Now I believe you’re not here to cheat my money, but…”
Lin SuCi tilted his head, his round eyes looked at the dried fish for a moment, and said righteously, “But unfortunately, I am also not a good cat.”
He clawed at the dried fish directly and drew it into his arms. Then he looked at Wang LiChen and smiled. “Thank you for your dried fish. Please allow me to refuse all your requests except for eating your dried fish.”
Wang LiChen: “…”
“Little kitty, I’m not a bad person…” Wang LiChen saw that although Lin SuCi pulled the dried fish to himself, he did not eat it. Thinking about it, he took out the entire plate and put it in front of Lin SuCi. He sat down on the ground and said sincerely, “I just like kittens. You’re the cutest kitten I’ve ever seen, so I’ll like to take care of you.”
Lin SuCi waved his tail, a happy expression appeared on his face. “Thank you, thank you, I also feel that I am the cutest.”
“You see, the dried fish I gave you is worth ten spiritual gems. I have a lot more than this good cat food.” Wang LiChen cleared his throat, he checked to see that there was no one around him. Bold-faced, he secretly took a step into Cardinal Sect. “I know Cardinal Sect. My Grand Master Uncle and Senior Uncles are devoted to the Tao, and they don’t pay attention to material comfort. Hence, they’ve been living in poverty. As such, they definitely wouldn’t be able to take good care of you. Little kitty, I really like you and want to raise you well. Follow me back to Mystique Heart Sect, we have a lot of money, and there’s everything you can ask for. I can also ask people to accept you as a disciple and teach you to cultivate. Later on, you can transform, train, and become a demon cultivator, how about that?”
Lin SuCi’s jade green eyes shone, looking excitedly at Wang LiChen, “I can cultivate, and become a demon cultivator?!”
“Of course!” With those clear eyes of the little beast staring at him, Wang LiChen could not help but crack a smile. He pat his chest and said, “I have a Senior Uncle who is a demon cultivator. He is very skilled, and now he’s about to reach the core formation stage! If you follow me, how about I ask my Senior Uncle to accept you as his disciple?”
“Thank you very much!” Lin SuCi’s little paws patted Wang Lichen’s hand. His mouth opened wide in a grin, and said sincerely, “You are truly a good person!”
Wang Li Chen listened to this, his eyes lit up and leaned forward, “So why don’t we now…”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go first!” Lin SuCi could not hold back the excitement in his body. There was no time to bother about the dried fish now. The kitten bent over and was ready to leave. He looked over to Wang LiChen and said goodbye to him in an undisguised and polite manner.
Wang LiChen, “…???”
“Good-bye!”
Lin SuCi said his goodbyes, believing that he had stabilized his image of a polite kitten. With a kick of his calf, he rushed away like a whirlwind.
Wang LiChen held on to his plate of dried fish, with his mouth open, he watched as the little kitten left without turning back, baffled.
“Hold on, so are you making me this promise?!”
When Lin SuCi rushed back to the cave, there was no one inside.
He somersaulted onto the ice bed , and in the next instant, the kitten turned into a catboy.
Lin SuCi, with his ears twitching, pulled on his trousers and clothes. He could not help but hum, happy as though it was New Year’s Day.
Tying up his robe, Lin SuCi pulled up his sleeves and wanted to run deeper into the cave. After thinking about it, he stopped.
He sat on the ice bed, looking pleased with himself. He stared straight at the other side of the wall leading to the back of the path, his eyes sparkling with stars and twinkling with light.
Shortly afterwards, from the gloomy winding path, out came Yan BoShen with a nonchalant face.
Yan BoShen’s foot just stepped over a turn, exposing a bit of his clothes,, Lin SuCi already could not hold himself back, wildly waving his tail, he leapt onto him.
“Instructor, I want to learn magic!”
This crisp and clear announcement resounded through the entire cave.
Caught off guard, Yan BoShen was hugged by the kitten. Before he could even push this excited kitten with bright shining eyes away, he was stunned by his announcement.
Lin SuCi clasped Yan BoShen’s waist tightly. As he was one head shorter than him, he looked up, his ears twitching along with his tail synchronously, a rare flattering look upon his face.
He had just been enlightened by Wang LiChen.
He was a spiritual beast, he could cultivate!
He could rely on his official keeper for now, but he could not depend on him for a lifetime! If Lin SuCi didn’t know it, then forget about it. Now he clearly knew that he could also cultivate, he could not stop thinking about it.
“BoShen, BoShen! Teach me how to cultivate!”
Yan BoShen hesitated deeply, unaccustomed to it, he first pushed away the catboy in his arms, and asked, “Why do you suddenly have this idea.”
Pushed away, Lin SuCi’s ears and tail drooped down at the same time. He looked down, showing an aggrieved expression.
“Why else but to protect myself.”
“Your junior, the one who wanted to buy me the last time, came here again.” Lin SuCi silently apologised to Wang LiChen. He displayed a bitter look, speaking with chagrin to his finger, “You don’t know, he’s deeply obsessed with my beauty. To try to take me away, his actions went too far! And I, a newborn kitten, with no self-protection, was almost taken away just like that!”
That was right. It was Wang LiChen who first used the dried fish tempt him. It was really not easy for him to resist the temptation.
The more he thought about it, the more self-righteous Lin SuCi became.
Yan BoShen was slightly alarmed, then carefully looked at Lin SuCi whose head was bowed.
“Were you bullied?”
Hearing what he said, Lin SuCi teared up and his desire to speak was restored: “Well, if I was a cultivator, would he still use such blatant means to humiliate me, bully me, and ravage me? Surely not!”
“BoShen, BoShen, I was bullied, which means that you were bullied. You were bullied, that means that Cardinal Sect was bullied!” Lin SuCi said indignantly. “The awe-inspiring Cardinal Sect, how can it be bullied by the younger generation? Of course this cannot happen! So in order to put an end to this phenomenon, we need to unite, and work on our weakest link — which is me!”
Yan BoShen listened as he said all these. His eyes flashed, as if deep in thought.
“I see.”
Lin SuCi’s eyes brightened. In the next moment, Yan BoShen reached out his hand, and he suddenly changed back into a kitten.
Yan BoShen bent down, picking up the little kitten from the pile of clothes he lifted him up.
His four paws dangling in the air, Lin SuCi watched as Yan BoShen walked out of the cave, somewhat confused, “Where are we going?”
“Going to the person should worry about the image of Cardinal Sect.”
Remaining composed, Yan BoShen said that sentence with indefinite meaning as he held Lin SuCi in his hand.
After a while, Yan BoShen walked to a door and knocked.
Then, before Lin SuCi could react, the hand holding on to him released, and he was placed at the door.
Done, Yan BoShen walked off without looking back.
The eyes of Lin SuCi, still crouching on the ground, met Qing Fou’s, who answered the door.
“… Meow? “
When Qing Fou saw Lin SuCi, he looked as though he had a headache. Before Lin SuCi could open his mouth, without a word, he drew a talisman in the air and pressed it onto Lin SuCi.
In the next moment, Lin SuCi rose up, with a whistle, he crossed the gate of the Cardinal Sect, past the clouds and the sea as quickly as thunder, and landed on Yan BoShen who had just reached the path on the hill.
A smack could be heard.
Lin SuCi flew right smack into Yan Boshen’s face.
The dizzy Lin SuCi was plucked off by Yan BoShen and carried in his hand.
Thinking about it, Lin SuCi raised his paw politely and spouted a bunch of nonsense, “That person who worries about the image of Cardinal Sect says, if it’s yours, you can’t hide from it. Bravely accept the reality, BoShen!”
The calm-faced Yan BoShen took a deep look at him.
The kitten gave an appropriate silly smile.
Yan BoShen: “…”
Headache.
Lin SuCi’s words had some truth in them. A spiritual animal, if he can only transform this way, its care in the future would still depend on him. If he started cultivating and became a demon cultivator, then, he would never have to bother about him again.
Yan BoShen decided to go for the lesser evil.
How should a spiritual beast cultivate, Yan BoShen took two days to organize the plan.
Just as he got the point of teaching, according to the invitation delivered by Wang LiChen, Senior Uncle Ding Ye’s celebration of the formation of his golden core had arrived.
Lin SuCi thought it had nothing to do with him, that he would wait for them to go to the dinner and bring back some snacks for him. He picked up a wooden stick and pretended to practice martial arts in the courtyard.
“Little kitty.”
Qing Fou in new clothes exited the hall. Behind him were Yan BoShen, Hui Lian, Ruan LingGu and Xiao Lan.
However, it seemed that other than Qing Fou and Yan BoShen, the rest of them did not look very happy.
“Huh?”
Lin SuCi raised his hand and wiped the non-existent sweat off his forehead, his eyes bright.
Qing Fou took a deep look at him and then looked at the disciples beside him. He spoke straightforwardly, “Tidy up, and with BoShen, follow me to the Mystique Heart Sect.”